Photo Pmnewsnigeria
Following a late equalizer that resulted in a 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia in Portimäo last Friday, the Super Eagles are determined to secure a victory against the Mambas of Mozambique on Monday.
This win is crucial for boosting their confidence ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe next month.
Kelechi Iheanacho, who made a significant impact in the previous game and scored an impressive second goal against the Green Falcons, will be absent as he had to attend to personal matters. Additionally, Victor Osimhen, one of the Ballon d’Or Dozen-shortlisters, is unavailable due to a hamstring injury.
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Nonetheless, Coach Jose Peseiro remains optimistic about the upcoming match, stating that he has a pool of talented forwards who can rise to the occasion against the Mambas.
“We will miss Kelechi and Victor, but we have other talented players who can make Nigeria proud. I look at the bench and see players who can step up and seize their opportunities.”
This clash with the Mambas marks the Super Eagles’ final gathering before the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers begin. The team will host Lesotho’s Crocodiles and then travel to play Zimbabwe’s Warriors, all within a few days in November.
In the absence of Iheanacho and Osimhen, Peseiro will rely on players like Terem Moffi, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar, and Moses Simon, hoping that Alex Iwobi will excel in his playmaking role and provide support to the forwards.
Defenders Kenneth Omeruo, Jordan Torunarigha, and Chidozie Awaziem, as well as midfielders Frank Onyeka, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and Raphael Onyedika, who did not play in the match against Saudi Arabia, could play vital roles for Peseiro against the Mambas at the Estadio Municipal de Portimão on Monday.
Nigeria and Mozambique have met four times at the senior level, including a friendly match in Maputo that Nigeria won 1-0, as well as home-and-away 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches that are still memorable today.
In the first encounter in Maputo, Mambas’ forward ‘Tico Tico’ Bucuane proved to be a challenge for Nigeria, resulting in a goalless draw. In October 2009, at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, it appeared headed for another goalless draw until Yusuf Ayila’s heroic clearance led to a goal scored by Victor Obinna Nsofor. If the match had ended in a draw, Nigeria would have been eliminated from the race to the first FIFA World Cup hosted in Africa.
A few months later, at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola, the Super Eagles defeated the Mambas 3-0 in Lubango, securing their place in the tournament’s quarter-finals.
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